There can be miracles
by Rikki8879
Summary: Set AFTER book 6. Contains major spoilers. Final chapter up.
1. Chapter 1

_**Warning: This story contains major spoilers to book 6!** Again, I don't own any of the characters, I just borrowed them. Have fun and don't forget to review. ;-)_

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Minerva was in a state of shock. She still couldn't believe that Albus was dead. Of course she had known that his missions were dangerous though he hadn't told her what he was up to. But she had always thought he would die in battle, not being murdered, wandless and in a weakened state. And by Severus, of all people. He had always believed in Snape's turn to the light side, though he had never given her his reasons.

The events of the last days had left Minerva feeling helpless and more alone than ever in her life. So far she hadn't had time to mourn over Albus' death. She still had a school to run. And then there was that hearing at the ministry. All Order members and students who had been fighting that evening were required to be present and give their statements on the events. It had been one of the hardest things Minerva had to do. Well, save the funeral. She knew that people had wondered why she hadn't shown more emotion. Especially her close friends, those who know that she had just lost her husband. But she just couldn't. All she felt these days was emptiness.

Sighing Minerva got up from the sofa in the chambers she had shared with Albus for so long and made her way to his office which was hers now. She hadn't changed the password yet. The gargoyle sprang to life, and Minerva stepped on the staircase which spiralled upwards towards the office.

When she entered, the portraits greeted her friendly. They had valued Albus and were just as shocked about his sudden death as everyone else was. But today something was different. It had been 6 days now since Albus had died but so far none of the portraits had said more than offering their condolences to Minerva's loss.

Today Armando Dippet cleared his throat when Minerva approached the desk to go through some paperwork.

"Minerva, dear?" the man in the portrait said.

The witch turned her head and looked at him with sad eyes. Armando could see that she hadn't slept very well, there were dark circles under her eyes.

"Yes, Armando?"

"I know it's a difficult time for you but… There's something I need to tell you. Something Albus told me long ago and which he wanted to be forwarded to you." Armando looked a bit nervous while all the other portraits as well as Minerva looked curious.

"What do you know about horcruxes?" he asked.

Minerva looked surprised.

"Not very much, I have to admit. Just that it's very dark magic and that it involves the splitting of one's soul by killing." Minerva had no idea what that question had to do with Albus but Armando had always been a good adviser. And if Albus had wanted her to know something, it had to be important.

"That's right. One's soul is torn apart when one kills somebody. It's difficult to explain but the essence is that you can store one part of your soul outside your body. That means if you're killed you still have that other part of your soul. Which means that you're immortal, more or less at least." Armando looked at Minerva closely to see if she had already grasped what he was heading at.

"That's very interesting, Armando but what does that have to do with Albus? Do you want to tell me that he created a horcrux and stored part of his soul?" Minerva got a bit impatient. She had enough on her plate already, not only the work but also the emotional strain, and she didn't need someone playing with her feelings or getting her hopes up.

"Well, yes. That's basically what I want to tell you." Armando grinned at her as her facial expression slowly changed. Sadness and despair were slowly replaced by something like hope and determination.

"That's more like the Minerva McGonagall we all know and love," he said with a wink. He had known that Minerva would be up to that difficult task of finding the horcrux.

Minerva had nearly glared at the portrait but then again she was too grateful that he had given her that important piece of information. She had never thought about such a possibility, dismissing Albus as being too good to use such dark magic. But on the other hand she had also always known that Albus would do anything to stay with her. For better or worse… When they had gotten married nearly half a century ago, Albus had insisted on including the Muggle wedding vow too. And now it seemed that he had taken that part to his heart too.

She was about to leave the office in order to begin her search when she remembered something. She didn't have a clue where to begin. And as she knew Albus very well, she was quite sure that he would have left another message for her.

"Armando…" she began but the man in the portrait raised his hand to silence her.

"I know, Minerva. You want to know how to find the horcrux. Albus gave me another message but it was rather cryptic. He said you should think about the day you first met. He told you about a place and there you should go looking for a rotten tooth." Armando made a rather disgusted face when he said that last part while Minerva just frowned.

"Wasn't there anything else? I mean… a rotten tooth?" Minerva asked incredulously.

"I know, I know. But that's all he said about the place. He just mentioned that you would know what to look for when you had arrived there." Armando shrugged apologetically but he was sure that Minerva would figure out what that little riddle meant.

Minerva took one last look at the former headmaster in his portrait and then rushed out of the office. She didn't really know how to begin her… quest but she had a general idea what Albus meant. So she headed back for her chambers to pack some things she would need for her journey.

Suddenly Minerva bumped into someone, barely able to regain her footing when that someone caught her arm to stabilize her.

"Are you ok, Min?" Rolanda Hooch looked at her old friend. She was worried about Minerva. The last weeks had taken their toll on her, and though Minerva never complained, Rolanda was sure that her friend was exhausted. At least she had appeared like that when Rolanda had last seen her. Now there seemed to be a new spring in Minerva's step and something new in her eyes. Something that had been missing ever since that fateful night when Albus had died. Hope. There was definitely hope in Minerva's eyes now.

Curiously Rolanda raised an eyebrow. She could practically smell that Minerva was up to something – and that it must have something to do with Albus.

"Yes, I'm fine. I'm just in a hurry and didn't look where I was going. You okay?" Minerva could tell that Rolanda knew something was going on. The hawk-like eyes had something mischievous about them at the moment. But right now Minerva wasn't ready to reveal her little secret. Too much had happened in the last minutes. And she didn't want to get her friend's hopes up.

"So, tell me, where are you heading?" Rolanda turned around and linked her arm with Minerva's, obviously intending to walk with her to wherever she was going.

"I'm on my way to my chambers. I have to pack some things. Listen, Rolanda. I know you want to know what's going on but I can't tell you at the moment. All I can tell you right now is that I have something to do abroad. Filius will be in charge as long as I'm gone. And I promise you'll be the first to know what happened when I get back." Minerva squeezed the other witch's hand, freed her arm from Rolanda's grip and then nearly fled, leaving the quidditch teacher behind.

When Minerva closed the door to her chambers behind her, she leaned against it and let out her breath. It had been quite a close call with Rolanda; and Minerva knew that her friend could be rather persistent when she wanted to know something. So Minerva was glad she had been able to avoid further interrogations. Time was precious at the moment, and she still hadn't figured out where Albus wanted her to go.

She clearly remembered him saying something about Germany. So far, so good. But Germany was a large country, and she could hardly search the whole country for… a rotten tooth. Another weird thing but knowing Albus it would become clear once she had figured out where to go.

**TBC…**


	2. Chapter 2

_I'm really sorry for the delay but being stuck with dial-up plus being on holidays doesn't really help. g Hope someone's still reading thestory, and as always, I really appreciate your reviews. Thanks!_

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Minerva paced through her bedroom deep in thought while Hermione, Ron, Harry, Lupin, Tonks and Mad Eye Moody sat on her bed. The kids felt a bit uncomfortable, being in her teacher's bedroom but said teacher seemed oblivious to it.

After Armando had told her about the horcrux, Minerva had debated with herself whether or not she should tell the other Order members. But then she decided that her sudden disappearance would certainly raise suspicion, so she had contacted Lupin, Tonks and Mad Eye. Ron, Hermione and Harry had been invited too. There was no point in trying to deceive them with some cock-and-bull story about her leaving school at such a time when she was about to be appointed the post of headmistress of Hogwarts. The trio would snoop around anyway and find out eventually. Plus… Harry had seen Albus die, and Minerva guessed that he needed some kind of comfort too.

"Minerva, could you stop pacing for a second? You're driving me nuts." Tonks rolled her eyes at the older witch who seemed to come back to reality now.

"What? Oh, sorry. It helps me think, you know." Minerva sighed deeply and let herself fall in a chair which stood in front of her dressing table. Her gaze trailed over the familiar furnishing. She remembered clearly one occasion when she'd sat here, brushing her hair. It had been in the evening. Albus had presented her with a beautiful diamond bracelet then.

And now he was gone. Or so it seemed at least. Suddenly, Minerva jumped out of the chair.

"Merlin, I'm stupid. Of course!" Running out of the bedroom she startled her companions who seemed to be none the wiser from that sudden outburst. Ron and Harry just looked at each other, shrugging.

Before anyone of them could react, Minerva was back, holding a carpet bag in her hand.

"I'm going to Berlin," the green-eyed witch announced to her companions.

"So you figured out where the horcrux is? That's great." Hermione beamed at her.

"Yes, well, I thought it can only be Berlin because Albus has always had a special liking for the city. Don't ask me why. But we were there too during our…" Minerva's voice trailed off. Nobody knew about her marriage to Albus. Should she tell them? Especially the children?

"During your honeymoon?" Hermione asked quietly. She had figured out long ago that there had to be more to their professors' relationship than just a close friendship.

"How…?" Minerva was quite astounded that the girl knew. Harry and Ron seemed just as surprised; apparently Hermione hadn't shared her knowledge with them.

Then a smile came to Minerva's face. "Well, I guess you're not the smartest witch of your age for nothing." She winked at the girl who blushed deeply.

"So yes, during our honeymoon. Professor Dumbledore and I have been married for nearly 50 years."

Ron and Harry looked positively stunned at that revelation. Of course Hermione had told her about her suspicion but they had never believed her. They had always dismissed it as her just being overly romantic and seeing things that weren't there.

When the two boys looked over to their friend now, they could see that Hermione had a triumphant grin on her face.

"See? I told you."

Tonks allowed herself a grin before she turned to Minerva.

"Well, now that you've shocked these two, would you enlighten us how you come up with Berlin as the solution to the riddle?"

Minerva thought for a minute. It had been quite clear once she'd figured it out. There was no other place where Albus could have hidden something as important and dangerous as a horcrux.

"Well, I just remembered that he had just come back from Germany, when we met for the first time. He told me about the country, and especially about Berlin. There's a school for magic too, only a small one though. But he was also very taken by the city itself. And he promised that he'd take me there one day."

Lupin and Mad Eye nodded. They had known Albus longer than Tonks, so they had known about his liking for Berlin.

"Ok, but what about the rotten tooth? I mean… Albus did have a rather shrewd sense of humour at times but this…" Tonks' voice trailed off. She wasn't familiar with the city, but knowing Albus it was some kind of insider joke. She couldn't really imagine that he would actually hide a rotten tooth somewhere.

"I've been to Berlin with my parents once on holidays. I think I remember that it's some kind of sight." Hermione chimed in.

"They have people looking at rotten teeth? Honestly, these Germans are weird." Ron said with conviction. Hermione just rolled her eyes at him.

"Of course not. It's a nickname for one of the sights of the city. If I could just remember which one." The young Gryffindor girl glanced over to the adults. Tonks, Lupin and Mad Eye seemed all a bit at a loss, but Minerva's face had again taken on a pensive look.

"Yes, I think you're right," Minerva said slowly. "Well, anyway I think I should get started with my packing." She opened the bag and began levitating some articles of clothing into it. When she came to her underwear, Ron and Harry were once more embarrassed and preferred to look the other way.

After a couple of minutes, Minerva seemed to have packed everything she needed for her trip.

"Well, I guess that's it then. I shall leave now. I'll apparate over to Berlin."

Hermione, Ron and Harry jumped to their feet at this.

"Yes, but we'll come with you," they said in unison.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: First of all, thanks for the reviews. I always enjoy receiving them, though I don't always understand your point. g For example, someone complained that it would be selfish of Albus to kill someone just to create a horcrux. Well, Albus has fought in two wars, so I believe it's highly unlikely that he was never forced to kill someone. We know that he defeated Grindelwald, and I don't think they'd send a dark lord to Azkaban. Plus I doubt that Grindelwald would have allowed them to take him alive.**

**Secondly, someone said I should have pointed out that the story centres around Minerva. Ok, good point, perhaps I should have said that in the description, but since Albus is dead at the moment I thought it was rather obvious. ;-) The 'real' AD/MM part will come up soon, so be a bit patient with me.**

**And now enough rambling, enjoy the next chapter, and don't forget to review. ;-)**

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"No, you won't. It's way too dangerous." Minerva rolled her eyes in exasperation at the three teenagers in front of her. Of course those three had seen more dangers than many of their classmates. But then again this was something personal.

"Uhm… Minerva… I hope you don't mind but I think the idea isn't that bad," Lupin said from the bed. He looked at the older woman, not sure what to expect now.

"But…" Minerva started.

"Look. The point is that it might look curious when you leave school so soon after you've been appointed the job of headmistress. With the kids you have a cover story. Pretend to show them Berlin or something. Perhaps you can even arrange a visit in the Wizarding School there. I mean, there are so many people who have an eye on you now, and it just might be better. We don't want anyone to become suspicious. And in case of an emergency, you have three excellent fighters at your side." The werewolf grinned at the stunned faces of the three Gryffindors. They clearly hadn't expected him to take their side but it was quite welcome.

Minerva seemed to think about what Lupin had just said.

"Well, you do have a point. But I have to check with Molly and Hermione's parents first."

"No, it's ok, my parents are on vacation now and I would have stayed with Ron anyway." Hermione beamed at Minerva. She knew that it could be dangerous to go with her professor but she wanted Dumbledore back too.

"Okay, okay. So you three go packing and I'll contact Mrs Weasley." When the trio had stormed out, Minerva turned to Lupin and glared at him.

"What on earth did you think you were doing by helping them? You do have a point but it would have been better to take someone fully trained with me. Not three teenagers who might have faced a lot of dangers but who haven't even finished school yet. I just can't afford to look after them too once I've arrived in Berlin."

Lupin got up from the bed and went over to his former teacher. Gently he pulled her into an embrace. When he let go again, Minerva looked at him in surprise.

"Minerva, I trust those three. They might be young but they've shown what they're capable of. And I don't want you to get hurt. We need you Min." Lupin raised a hand to Minerva's cheek, stroking it lightly. He could see that Minerva had tears in her eyes, and he knew that she tried to be strong for the sake of it but the events had taken their toll on her.

"I know." Minerva managed to say. Her voice trembled all so lightly. The taller man pulled her into another embrace and stroked her back.

"You'll get him back, Min." Gently Lupin placed a kiss on Minerva's head before he let go of her.

"Thank you." From the depth of her sleeve Minerva pulled a handkerchief and blew her nose. "I should really go and contact Molly now. The children will be back soon." With a last smile at Lupin she turned around and left the room.

When Lupin looked at Tonks and Mad Eye who were still sitting on the bed, they gave him an odd glance.

"What?" he asked defensively.

Moody got up and patted him on the shoulder.

"You're a good boy." Without another word the older man left the room, leaving behind a rather stunned Lupin.

About an hour later Minerva and the children were on their way to the apparition site. Minerva had thought about taking a port key but she didn't want to raise any suspicions by registering one, so she had decided for apparating to Berlin. She had shrunk their luggage so they could easily store it into their pockets. All of them were dressed in contemporary muggle attire – though Harry had to keep Ron from wearing an absolutely out-fashioned bowler hat. Before they started, Minerva had, again, instructed them what to do in case they got separated.

"Well, then let's go." She took a deep breath and then disappeared with a loud pop which was followed by three more pops as Harry, Ron and Hermione followed their teacher.

Apparating still wasn't their favourite way of travelling, and so all three of them were glad when they found themselves in the green surroundings of Tiergarten in the middle of Berlin. Minerva stood a couple of meters away from them, already checking a map for the way they'd have to go.

It had been decided that they'd pay a short visit to the headmaster of the Berlin wizarding school before they'd start their search for the horcrux. Minerva didn't have any idea what the rotten tooth could be so they would have to try to get a clue somewhere in the city.

"This way. We'll take the train to the school. I think it's best to blend in with the muggles. But nonetheless, be careful and look out for suspicious behaviour," Minerva said while she folded the map and put it away.

Together they set off for the nearest train station. Ron kept asking himself what Minerva might have meant with 'suspicious behaviour' when he saw someone odd-looking approaching the Scottish witch.


	4. Chapter 4

"Wollen Sie die neueste Ausgabe vom Strassenfeger kaufen?" the man asked. Minerva looked at him quite taken aback since she didn't speak any German. She hadn't expected anyone to talk to them on their way to the German wizarding school.

"I'm sorry, we don't speak German," the dark-haired witch said before she grabbed Hermione's sleeve to pull her away from the guy. Ron and Harry followed them quickly, taking a look back every once in a while.

"What in Merlin's name was that?" Ron asked. "I mean, that man certainly qualified for 'odd-looking' but I doubt it was what you had in mind, right?" He looked at his teacher who just nodded.

"I think he was homeless and trying to sell that newspaper thing." Hermione looked at her companions. She didn't speak any German either but then again it had been quite obvious, at least to her.

"Yes, Hermione, I think you're right. But nonetheless we should now be on our way to the school. It's already getting late." Minerva took a nervous glance at her watch before she urged the trio to go on.

It wasn't very far to the school, and within 5 minutes they arrived there. Minerva stated their names as well as her position at Hogwarts, and they were shown to the headmaster's office immediately.

"Good evening, headmaster Schulz," Minerva said, offering her hand to the elderly wizard in front of her. The man wore half-moon glasses, just as Albus, and was smoking a pipe. He smiled at his English colleague and her students.

"Good evening, professor McGonagall. It's nice to meet you again." The wizard sat down after conjuring some more chairs for his visitors and motioning for them to sit down.

"First of all, may I offer my condolences to you and your fellow staff members? It's a great loss for all of us, but especially for you." Schulz looked at Minerva gravely. Of course she had expected that, but nonetheless the sincerity took her by surprise. But she managed to compose herself and accept the condolences with grace and dignity.

"Thank you, headmaster. It's been a hard time for us, but we appreciate the sentiments and thoughtfulness of all of you." Minerva cleared her throat but her attention was drawn to Hermione when the girl let out a sob. Quickly, Minerva put her hand on the girl's shoulder. "Please, Hermione, calm down."

"I gather they are students of yours?" Headmaster Schulz looked at the trio and especially at the still tearing Hermione. His gaze held pity but also a certain amount of curiosity.

"Yes, they are. And we're… well, I have a project running with them, and part of that project is here in Germany. That's why we're here in the middle of the summer holidays," Minerva added with a wink. Of course she had anticipated a question like that. "But I thought we could check in with you first. And perhaps you can be of some assistance."

Schulz nodded pensively.

"Yes, of course. How may I be of assistance?" He looked at Minerva, now clearly curious.

"Well… we've come across some kind of… riddle. And the riddle mentions a place called… 'rotten tooth'. We already gathered that it could be some kind of sight here in Berlin." Minerva was a bit nervous but she tried not to show it. This was a crucial part of information, and if she could find out now what that meant, she was a bit closer to getting Albus back.

Headmaster Schulz started to chuckle.

"I guess what you call a 'rotten tooth' must be what people in Berlin call 'der hohle Zahn'. And then it would be the Kaiser-Wilhelm-Gedächtniskirche. It was nearly destroyed during World War II but wasn't rebuilt. And well… it kind of looks like a hollow tooth. So I guess the riddle wasn't translated properly."

Minerva had to refrain from rolling her eyes. Of course it would be like Albus to confuse the words and mess up the translation. But she let out a sigh of relief that they had been able to solve that problem so quickly. It had been a good idea to seek out the German headmaster after all.

"Oh, well, I guess that explains it. Thank you so much for your help." Minerva looked relieved indeed.

"My pleasure, my dear."

Minerva could have sworn Albus had just said that, but for now that was only wishful thinking.

Checking her watch again, Minerva decided that it was time to get going again. They should check in at their hotel, and then perhaps go out and find that church the headmaster had spoken of.

"Thank you. And I believe we've already taken up enough of your time. We should be leaving. So get up, children." Minerva rose from her chair and the trio followed suit. Ron frowned a bit at being called a child but he forgot so quickly when Hermione poked him with her elbow.

"What?" he whispered, rubbing his hurting ribs.

"Nothing. I just wanted you to stop frowning." Hermione rolled her eyes at Ron and went ahead to join Minerva and Harry who walked side by side with headmaster Schulz.

"Well, then I wish you good luck with your projects. If I can be of any further assistance, just let me know." Headmaster Schulz nodded his goodbyes and saw them out.

When they were back on the street, Minerva turned to Hermione who had already pulled out a map of the city and studied it intensely.

"I think we should go this way," the girl said, pointing out a street on the map. It led directly to the church which was not far from the school.

"Well, lead the way then. But pay attention, we don't want to run into another of these newspaper sellers." Minerva hadn't forgotten their little encounter with the homeless man, and though she pitied him she didn't want to meet him again… or someone like him. He had seemed a bit scary.

Hermione marched off, Ron next to her. Harry had waited for Minerva who had been lost in thought for a moment.

"Are you okay?" he asked quietly, putting his hand on Minerva's elbow as she joined him going after Ron and Hermione. The other two were deep in conversation but still Harry didn't want them to hear.

"Yes, yes, thank you, Harry. I was… I was just thinking." Minerva smiled a sad smile at the young man next to her. He understood perfectly what she went through at the moment. He had already lost his parents at a very young age, then he had lost Sirius… Voldemort had taken all of them, and now he had also taken Albus – something she had never believed would happen.

"Anything I can do for you?" Harry sensed that there was more to Minerva's behaviour than just thinking.

"No, I don't think so. I was just … pondering what had gotten into Severus that he has killed Albus. But… I don't know. It just feels strange. I can't really believe it. And knowing Albus, there was more to this." Minerva couldn't quite explain what she actually thought. She had known Albus for so long, and it seemed ridiculous that he should have been oblivious to Severus' betrayal.

"Yeah, there's something fishy about the whole thing." Harry agreed with her.

Minerva looked at the young man with a raised eyebrow. Could it be that it wasn't just her and her wishful thinking? And especially Harry… he had never liked Severus. But that was something she'd think about later, at the moment it was more important to concentrate on finding the horcrux.

Harry knew what Minerva was thinking, and he couldn't help but taking her hand and giving it a sympathetic squeeze. He let go quickly, so that Hermione, who had just turned around, wouldn't see it but the girl was much to excited to pay much attention to that kind of thing.

"There's the church!" she said, pointing ahead.

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The German sentence at the beginning of this chapter means "Do you want to buy the newest edition of the Strassenfeger?"... Strassenfeger being the name of a newspaper made by homeless people.


	5. Chapter 5

_Well, this update came a little quicker than the last one. ;-) This chapter is dedicated to Lies, I owe her a thankyou for the inspiration concerning the horcrux. _

_As always, I don't own any of the characters, I just play with them. ;-)_

_Now have fun reading, and I'd appreciate any reviews._

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Indeed they had arrived at the Kaiser-Wilhelm-Gedächtniskirche. And Minerva had to agree… It bore some resemblance to a hollow tooth.

"Well, shall we take a look inside then?" Minerva looked at the trio before she looked back at the church. Of course it was a small victory that they had figured out where to go and what Albus' little riddle meant… But they still didn't know what they were looking for. That could turn out to be a problem, knowing Albus and his rather shrewd sense of humour. Minerva suspected that he would have chosen something that was rather out of place at the church.

But first of all they had to find a way to search the church without raising any suspicions.

Hermione and Ron had taken the lead again while Harry remained behind them, close to Minerva.

"Do you have any idea what Professor Dumbledore could have chosen as a horcrux? I mean… the church looks rather… large," Harry said.

"No, not really. But I'm sure we'll find it." Minerva tried to smile confidently at the young man next to her, though she wasn't sure if she succeeded. Suddenly she frowned. "What's wrong, Hermione?" she called out to the girl ahead.

"Well, I don't know but it seems that you can't enter the church," Hermione said.

"What? That can't be!" Harry looked at Hermione disbelievingly. They had already come so close to getting Dumbledore back. He could see how Minerva's face fell. But there just had to be a solution to this.

"Excuse me, sir…" Hermione was determined not to give up so easily. She approached the nearest pedestrian. "Sir, is this the Kaiser-Wilhelm-Gedächtniskirche?" she asked.

"Yes, it is." The man smiled at her friendly.

"Uhm… but one can't enter it," Hermione pointed out, looking slightly disappointed.

"No, that's not possible. Services are held in that church over there." Pointing to the right side of the church, the man nodded and walked on.

"Oh," Hermione said softly.

"What is it, Hermione? What did he say?" Harry asked. He stood still a few metres away from his friend.

"He said that services are held in that church," Hermione pointed to the other church the stranger had shown her. "It seems to be some kind of replacement for the old one. Seems sensible too. I mean… I guess that it might be dangerous to enter the old church. Doesn't look very stable to me."

"True," Ron agreed with her. "So do we try the other one? Might already have been there when Professor Dumbledore left the horcrux here."

"Yes, I guess you're right, Ron." Minerva had pulled herself together. Anyway, Ron might be right. It didn't seem sensible to allow people to enter such a heavily destroyed building.

The other church was a rather modern building with a lot of blue glass. It wasn't exactly to Minerva's taste but as long as she found the horcrux in there, she didn't mind where it was hidden.

Together they entered the church. It wasn't that large but large enough for the search to last some time. Minerva checked her watch. It was already getting late, and she didn't know how much longer they had. Were churches closed over night in Germany?

"Do you have any idea what we're looking for?" Hermione asked, looking slightly desperate when she saw the vast interior.

"Well, no… But I guess I'll recognize the horcrux when I see it. It must have been something that isn't too much out of place in a church but has a double meaning so I can identify it. Otherwise Albus' plan wouldn't make any sense." Minerva took another look around. Knowing Albus he would have hidden the horcrux somewhere were it was obvious but not out of place.

"Perhaps we should try the altar. It seems the most logical choice to me." Minerva went ahead towards the altar. There were a lot of Christian relics and candles on display, but nothing that especially caught Minerva's eye.

The trio had followed her and was searching the sides of the altar. All of them looked desperate to find whatever Albus had chosen to be his horcrux.

"Professor?" Hermione called out. She looked at a bowl but it seemed that it wasn't the bowl itself that had caught her attention but rather something inside it.

Minerva went over to the young woman, looking curious.

"What have you found, Hermione?"

"Well, I'm not sure but… There's something in that bowl. A medallion." Hermione pointed at the bowl and then stepped aside to give Minerva better access. The older witch frowned but then a smile spread over her face.

"Yes, that could be." Carefully Minerva took the small medallion out of the bowl. It was in the shape of a rose but Minerva could see that something else was engraved in the delicate structure. It was a miniscule crest. Taking a quick look around if anybody was watching them, Minerva took out her wand. With a small flick she enlarged the crest… and her suspicions were confirmed.

"There's the McGonagall family crest on that medallion. I think we've found it, Hermione." Smiling Minerva turned the medallion back to its original state and put it in her pocket.

"That's it? This small medallion can carry someone's soul?" Ron asked, a rather disbelieving look on his face.

"Yes, Ron, it can. And now, I suggest we leave and return to Hogwarts so that we can get Albus back as soon as possible." Minerva was still smiling, and the smile stayed on her face throughout their journey back to Hogwarts. It didn't take them long to reach the nearest apparition site and then apparate back to Scotland.

When they arrived, Moody and Lupin were still in Minerva's private chambers, apparently waiting for them.

"Have you already found him? Thank Merlin." Lupin let out a sigh of relief. The search had gone better than anyone had anticipated.

"Yes, headmaster Schulz was a great help, and thankfully Albus chose something I could easily recognize." Minerva pulled the small medallion out of her robes and held it out on her hand. Moody and Lupin came closer.

"A rose medallion? But… How can you be sure?" Lupin asked.

"Because it has the McGonagall family crest on it," answered Moody, his magical eyeball rolling madly in his socket. Minerva nodded.

"Oh," Lupin said. He took another look at the medallion, and now he could see it too… barely so, but he could see it.

"Well, then I suggest we start preparing the ceremony. I take it you want to have your husband back as soon as possible," Lupin said with a wink.


	6. Chapter 6

_Yeah, I know, it took me ages again, and I'm truly sorry for that. Was rather busy lately but now the final chapter is up. Hope someone's still reading this. ;-) If so, please let me know what you think. Thanks for staying tuned._

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Minerva sat at her desk, brooding over a book which was – according to Dippet – supposed to help her with the ceremony that would bring Albus back to life. But so far, she wasn't very lucky.

Suddenly, a beautiful dark brown owl tapped at Minerva's window, urging her to open it. Minerva let the bird in and went over to her desk where the owl had landed, sticking out her leg. Minerva saw that a piece of parchment was attached to the bird's leg and wondered briefly who'd send her a letter right now. She had never seen that bird before, and she was sure it didn't belong to the ministry.

Minerva gave the owl a treat so it could fly off again after she had removed the parchment from the owl's leg. The dark haired witch recognized the writing on the scroll immediately, and though she felt a twinge of anger bubbling up inside her, she knew that she should read the parchment. So she unrolled it and began to read. As she had suspected, it was from Severus.

_Dear Minerva,_

_I know that you have every reason to be angry at me and that you probably don't see why you should read this letter. But please, do. It will help you understand the procedure you're about to undergo._

_Believe me, when I say that killing Albus was the hardest thing I ever had to do. It hurt me more than you all will ever know but I'm glad that you found the horcrux. I know that the books in the Hogwarts library aren't exactly helpful when it comes down to reviving people; it's way too advanced Dark Magic. But I know, and if you read on, you'll find the instructions._

_I hope one day you'll be able to forgive me for what I had to do._

_Yours truly, Severus_

This was followed by the detailed instructions how the ceremony, that would bring Albus back, had to be held. Minerva closed her eyes. She knew that Severus had risked a lot to get this letter with the instructions to her… but now she also knew that Severus hadn't really betrayed Albus. And knowing Albus, it had been his plan in the first place. Minerva wasn't quite sure so far, why Albus might have wanted Severus to kill him, but she trusted her husband and knew that he must have had a good reason.

Quickly, Minerva grabbed the instructions and hurried over to Lupin, Tonks and Moody who were waiting for her, all the while preparing Albus' body which had been brought back from the tomb. The sight of her dead husband made Minerva's eyes water but she knew that she'd have him back as soon as they'd completed the ceremony.

"I just got some rather unexpected help," she said showing the others the parchment with the instructions.

Lupin raised an eyebrow when he saw the signature.

"Are you sure that you can trust him with this, Minerva?" Lupin felt that it was too good to be true.

"Yes, I am. I've always thought that there was something fishy about the whole … murder. And I know that Albus trusted Severus with his life… and I'm sure that Albus knew what he was doing when he offered Severus the job here." Minerva looked at her companions. She could see the doubt in their eyes but she knew that she was right.

"Well, then let's see what Severus has sent," Moody said, taking the parchment from Minerva. He read through the instructions carefully but when he had finished, he nodded.

"Yes, that makes sense." Muttering a quick spell, various objects came zooming from everywhere. Minerva could just duck in time before she got hit on the head by a large chandelier which came flying through the open door from her office. Albus lay on a stretcher in their living room which Minerva thought fit for the ceremony.

"I guess that's all," Moody said, checking the parchment again but nodding. He quickly lit the candles on the chandelier, then motioned for the others to build a circle around Albus' body. Minerva had already placed the horcrux on Albus chest, close to his heart.

"Ok, we'll have to take our hands and then speak this incantation thrice." Moody placed the parchment where everyone could see it so they could read out the complicated spell. It seemed to be rather old magic; none of them had ever seen that spell before. True, it was Dark Magic but at least the aurors should have recognized it otherwise.

Taking each others hands, Lupin, Tonks, Minerva and Moody moved closer around the outstretched body before starting to read out the spell.

When they had finished the third repetition, a bright light suddenly emanated from the rose medallion lying on Albus' chest. Albus was practically lifted up in the air and seemed to glow himself.

"Keep the circle," yelled Moody, trying to avoid the bright light.

Minerva clung on tight to the hands of Lupin and Tonks. And as much as she wanted to see what happened to her husband, she couldn't see anything in the bright light. So she squeezed her eyes shut, hoping for the best since she didn't have any other option at the moment.

As sudden as it had appeared, the light disappeared again. Minerva carefully opened her eyes and looked at Albus. He looked quite pale… but that was probably to be expected, he had been dead after all.

Minerva let go of the others' hands and touched Albus' cheek. He felt still cold and… lifeless.

"It didn't work," she whispered, tears forming in her eyes.

Moody frowned and grabbed the parchment to check it again. His face brightened.

"Well yes, we forgot something. His true love has to kiss him," he said, his normal eye glinting mischievously.

Minerva lowered her head to Albus' face, looked at him for a second and kissed him then gently on the lips. She put all her love for him, all the desperation she had felt these previous days, in the kiss. And suddenly she felt, how warmth started to spread through his cold body. His cheeks got a rosy touch, and with a sharp intake of breath, Albus opened his eyes and looked at her.

"Minerva…," Albus said in a low voice.

"Albus… Albus, oh Merlin, I have you back," Minerva sobbed. She couldn't really believe that he was alive again but she felt it when he raised his arms and pulled her in a tight embrace.

"Yes, it's over, love. I'm sorry I had to do this to you," Albus whispered in her ear. When he felt Minerva nod, he released her and sat up.

"Thank you, dear friends, for doing this for… us. I know there's a lot to explain but I guess there's one thing I have to do first." Albus smiled at the other Order members before he got up and walked to Minerva's office. The brown owl had apparently returned for it was waiting on Minerva's desk.

"What… it had already flown away. Why did it return?" Minerva asked, looking surprised.

"Because it needs to take a message back to Severus," Albus answered, taking a piece of parchment to scribble a short note for the former potions master.

"So I was right, you were behind all of this?" Minerva asked, sitting down opposite of Albus.

"Yes, I was. You see, Severus had to take an Unbreakable Vow to Narcissa that he would help Draco to kill me… should the necessity ever arise. He told me about it, and since I didn't want him to sacrifice his life and his position as a spy with Voldemort, I told him to go through with it." Albus smiled contently. He knew that it would people a while to understand his reasoning but he was sure that Minerva would understand at some point, even if others didn't.

"Well, that sounds like a thing you would do," Minerva smiled. But she was glad that she had been right with Severus after all. She had never quite been able to believe that he had returned to the Dark Side.

"What will happen now? With you… and with Severus," she asked.

"Oh, I guess I'll just keep a low profile for a while as to give Severus a chance to find out some more about Voldemort's plans… and in the meantime I'll try to find a way to kill Voldemort. As for Severus… It's up to him what he'll do. If he chooses so, he can return to Hogwarts though that would put him in grave danger – again." Albus voice sounded tired. He knew that, once again, he asked a lot of the young man he had come to see as a surrogate son. But he also knew that Severus would do whatever necessary to put a stop to Voldemort.

Albus was about to seal the parchment when Minerva interrupted him.

"No, wait… let me add something," she said, taking the quill from Albus. She wrote rather quickly but Albus was able to look over her shoulder.

_Severus, thanks so much for your help. Remember, you'll always have someone to turn to here… and we love you. Minerva_

"Now you can seal it." Minerva handed the parchment back to Albus who smiled at his wife. He had known that she would react like that. That's why he loved her so much, her wisdom, courage and… forgiveness.

"Thanks, love," Albus said quietly before attaching the parchment to the owl's outstretched leg. The bird flew off with a loud hoot, as if to say goodbye, and soon disappeared into the falling darkness outside.

**The End**


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